2016 Challenges: January Update

You might remember that I decided to participate in a few challenges this year: I want to read more debut authors, diverse books, and fantasy books.

In the month of January I read 15 books, and I think I’m off to a good start in terms of my challenge goals.

I read 6 debuts in January, and I really liked all of them!  I’m eagerly anticipating second books from these authors.  Here are the books I read:

The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin-I’ve heard mixed reviews of this one, but I really enjoyed it.  I think comps to Sarah Dessen are accurate, and I loved the cast of characters in this book.

The Distance from A to Z by Natalie Blitt-I found one particular trait of the main character’s to be fairly off-putting, but in the end the story was so cute that I had to look past it.

Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira-I did a lot of yelling in my head at the characters in this book, who, had they just communicated with each other, could have gotten together a lot faster!  But I suppose that wasn’t really the point…it was still a fun story and an interesting concept, and I LOVED Dev.

Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch-I have a compulsive need to read all books set in Europe, and this one did not disappoint.  At times I found the teenagery behavior to be mildly irritating, and if anything I would have loved to see MORE travel in Italy, but it was still an interesting story, a cute love interest, etc.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro-This one isn’t out until March, but I definitely recommend it.  Though I don’t know if I’ve ever read an actual Sherlock Holmes story, I love all the YA retellings that have been coming out lately, and this one was fantastic.  I’m eagerly anticipating the sequel.

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin-I was really happy to pick up a copy of this at ALA Midwinter; a student at my school has recently come out as gender fluid, and I was glad I could read this and quickly hand it off to them.  Such an important story, but also funny and interesting too.

Total: 6/24

I read 4 books with main characters who are part of diverse groups in January.  Here they are:

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler-I am a giant Sarah Ockler fan, but the idea of this book didn’t really sound interesting to me.  I finally decided to pick it up, and it did not disappoint.  The main character, a girl from Tobago who is now living in small town Oregon, is coming to terms with losing her voice and her dreams.  Also, there’s a pirate regatta.  I would definitely pick this one up, if you haven’t already.

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan-Persian-American lesbian trying to fit in at New England prep school and in her own very traditional family.  The love story is super cute, but the book is interspersed with serious themes as well.  I liked it, but wanted more.

Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz-Holy voice, Batman.  This is possibly my favorite read of January. Etta is bisexual, black, and has an eating disorder, and doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere in her Nebraska town.  She ends up making some great new friends along her journey to get out of Nebraska, and they make the story 100x better, but honestly, Etta’s voice is so amazingly authentic, funny, and perfect, there could be no other characters in the book and I’d still read it.

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin-See above.  Would definitely recommend.

Total: 4/50

I only read one fantasy book in January, but it was a big one:

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard-I liked, but didn’t love, Red Queen.  But after the ending, I was certainly curious about what would happen next.  Glass Sword was certainly action-packed, and went in directions I didn’t expect.  Again, though, we’re left hanging, and my heart hurts just thinking about it.

Total: 1/35

It’s clear that I’ve really been enjoying debut books so far in 2016, but I think I’m going to need to work a bit harder on the other challenge categories.  Still, I’m happy with my reading in January, and I feel like as long as I’m finding books that are enjoyable, I’m not going to worry so much about numbers.

What was your favorite read in January?  Are you participating in any challenges?

 

2015 End of Year Book Survey

This is the 3rd time I’ve participated in Jamie’s annual reading survey, and each year I feel like it gets more difficult to choose favorites-there are just so many good books!  But I will persevere.  Here goes:

Number Of Books You Read: 204
Number of Re-Reads: 31
Genre You Read The Most From: contemporary realistic fiction, as always

 

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?

 

There were so, so many books I loved this year that I think I need to make some top 10 list type posts to give them all the love they deserve.  But I would say the one book that I still think about ALL the time, really enjoyed, and am most eagerly anticipating the sequel to is QUEEN OF SHADOWS by Sarah J. Maas.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

AS YOU WISH by Cary Elwes.  I had heard a few raves of this book, and it wasn’t bad by any means, but I also didn’t find it as funny or interesting as I was hoping.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?  

THE SHADOW CABINET by Maureen Johnson.  This series is just…I honestly don’t know what goes on in MJ’s head when she is writing.  I had no idea this is where the story was going, and I’m still not sure I fully grasp everything…but I still can’t wait for book #4.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

All of the THRONE OF GLASS books, probably.

 5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?

The best series I start was ABSOLUTELY the GEEK GIRL series by Holly Smale.  I LOOOOVED those books so much that after I read the first one, I bought the next 3 during my visit to London over the summer because I was too impatient to wait for them to be published here.

As for the best sequel…HEIR OF FIRE by Sarah J. Maas.  Because ROWAN.

And the best series ender was definitely MANNERS AND MUTINY by Gail Carriger.  I adored the characters in this series so much and I will miss reading about their antics and adventures.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?

Ellie Marney.  Can’t wait to read more from her.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

I’m not a fan of historical fiction, but Stacey Lee’s UNDER A PAINTED SKY was awesome.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

Have to go with QUEEN OF SHADOWS again.  With SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo as a close second.

 9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

Always Harry Potter.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven.

11. Most memorable character of 2015?

ROWAN from HEIR OF FIRE/QUEEN OF SHADOWS.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?

WHEN WE COLLIDED by Emery Lord.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?

ALL AMERICAN BOYS by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.  EVERYONE should read this book.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? 

CINDER/SCARLET/CRESS by Marissa Meyer.

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

“…love isn’t a choice. You fall for the person, not their chromosomes.”

from NONE OF THE ABOVE by IW Gregorio

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?

Shortest: Lumberjanes Vol. 1 (128 pages)

Longest: Queen of Shadows (648 pages)

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

SEE HOW THEY RUN by Ally Carter

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

AELIN + ROWAN FOREVER (Queen of Shadows)

(honorable mention: Watts and Mycroft from EVERY BREATH)

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

TOO MANY TO CHOOSE.

Cinder + Iko (Lunar Chronicles)

Cinder + Thorne (Lunar Chronicles)

Reagan + Victoria (JUST VISITING by Dahlia Adler)

Nicolette + Caro + Fin (MECHANICA by Betsy Cornwell)

Sydney + Layla (SAINT ANYTHING by Sarah Dessen)

Ok, I’ll stop.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

SAINT ANYTHING by Sarah Dessen.

21. Best Book You Read In 2015That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

All of the books in the Lunar Chronicles series.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?

Rowan.  Always.

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

There were so many good debuts this year, but I think my most favorite was WRITTEN IN THE STARS by Aisha Saeed.

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

I know I sound like a broken record, but…QUEEN OF SHADOWS.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

THE HEARTBREAKERS by Ali Novak

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?

ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

INFINITE IN BETWEEN by Carolyn Mackler.  I feel like this book hasn’t gotten much attention, but I loved it so much.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES by Jennifer Niven.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?

5 to 1 by Holly Bodger.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Probably ALL AMERICAN BOYS by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.

 

 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2015 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2016?

WINTER by Marissa Meyer

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2016 (non-debut)?

Throne of Glass #5

3. 2016 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Ugh, just one?!?! Probably A STUDY IN CHARLOTTE by Brittany Cavallaro

 4. Series Ending/A Sequel You Are Most Anticipating in 2016?

THE WINNER’S KISS by Marie Rutkowski

AND

THE RAVEN KING by Maggie Stiefvater

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2016?

1. Write more.
2. Read more widely.
3. Meet more people from the bookish community.

6. A 2016 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

WHEN WE COLLIDED by Emery Lord.

 

There are SO, SO many other books I read in 2015 that weren’t even mentioned in this survey, so hopefully I’ll get around to gushing about them in some upcoming posts.  Hope you all had excellent reading years in 2015, and that 2016 is equally awesome.

 

Challenging Myself in 2016

Although I don’t really blog regularly, I’ve long been a follower of many bookish blogs, and have seen the variety of reading challenges that take place each year.  I’ve never really been tempted to jump in; the only challenge I’ve participated in is the one I set for number of books on Goodreads.

This year, I finally met my Goodreads challenge goal of 200 books after trying and failing for several years.  Looking back on the books I read (end of year survey soon to come), I definitely noticed some trends.  Although I would say this was probably my most diverse reading year, I still read mostly contemporary realistic fiction, and mostly white women.  I want to continue to branch out in my reading in regard to genres, authors, and representation in the books I read, so I am finally jumping into a few different reading challenges this year.  (As a side benefit, hopefully staying on top of these challenges will actually make me write more regularly.  But I make no promises.)

So here are the challenges I’m planning to participate in this year:

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I love learning about new authors, and one of the things I look forward to each month is Kelly’s list of debut titles over at Stacked.  Although I didn’t participate in a challenge last year, I did read 25 books by debut authors in 2015; I’d love to keep better track of them, and spread the word about amazing new authors, so participating in Jana’s challenge seems like a great way to do that.  I set a goal of reading 24 debuts, but honestly, with all the great ones coming out this year, I’m hoping to exceed that number.

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After contemporary, fantasy is probably the genre I read most frequently, but there is still so much more within the genre to explore, and 2016 especially looks like it will be an excellent year for YA fantasy.  I read 29 fantasy books in 2015, so I’m going to set a goal of 35 books for the Flights of Fantasy challenge.

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Finally, the last official challenge I’m planning to take part in is Mishma and Shelly’s challenge to read more diverse books.  I read 35 books by and/or about people of color and/or the LGBTQIA+ community, but as a percentage of the 200+ books I read, it’s…something I could improve upon.  I would like to read at least 50 books that can be considered diverse in 2016.

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While these three are the only official challenges I’m planning to participate in, I’m also hoping to read more adult fiction and nonfiction (YA or adult) this year.  I don’t tend to read much of either, so I would like to read at least one adult book and one nonfiction book each month, for a total of 24 books.

And, of course, I’ll be trying to reach my Goodreads challenge goal of 200 books again this year.

What challenges are you participating in this year?  Do you set a yearly reading goal?  Do you plan out the books you’ll read each month, or are you a mood reader?  Let me know!

The Joys of Middle School

So this year I started a new job (I would like to write an entire post about recent life transitions, but given how sporadically I post to begin with, I can’t make any promises).  I’m working at a school spanning grades PreK-12, and, among other firsts, it is my first time teaching formal classes to middle school students.

There are both joys and growing pains that come with this experience.  There are certainly those students in these middle grades who test my patience, get on my last nerve, and are the source of my gray hair.  But there are also the amazing, insightful, kind, hardworking, and super-smart ones, who make me wish I ONLY had middle school students.

One of the challenges for me is teaching all of the important library skills (research, evaluating sources, citations, etc.), while also promoting a love of reading.  If it were up to me we would spend every library class talking about books, looking for books to check out, and reading.  But libraries are about more than books (don’t get me wrong-I love this aspect of my job as well!  I think it’s both important and interesting, and I love teaching those skills, and seeing students go through the whole process or completing a project, from initial brainstorming to final product).  As a result, it can be difficult to find a balance between the projects and the book promotion/checkout.

Initially, I was planning to allow 10-15 minutes for browsing and checkout for middle school, just as I do for my elementary school classes.  It quickly became apparent that this wasn’t going to work, though, as there were a number of students in each group that refused to check out books, and used that time to chat/fool around/cause chaos.  Then, I stopped doing any type of in-class checkout for middle school; middle school students can use the library during lunch and break, so I told myself that if they really wanted to check out books they could do it on their own time.

But this didn’t make me happy-I felt as if I wasn’t truly doing my job to the best of my ability, because I do still want to promote reading and give kids the opportunity to browse and find books they’ll love-there’s no point in having a library full of books if no one is reading them!  So I thought there had to be a better way to find a balance, and I decided to start small, though there are a couple of really great ideas that I’m working up to.

I see each middle school class twice during each cycle, so I decided that on one of these days, the last 10 minutes would be reserved for an activity called “What Are You Reading Now?”  I had a couple of goals for this short time period: quickly booktalk whatever I’m currently reading, to show students that I have a reading life too; highlight some library books we have from a particular category/genre/theme to make students more aware of what the library has to offer; and have students briefly share what they’re reading, so students can get recommendations, learn about new things, and see reading as somewhat social.

I decided to “pilot” this with my sixth graders, because they’re overall a really great group, and I thought they would be most receptive and responsive to it.  Even still, I thought they might take some coaxing, so I was planning to do my booktalk and then see if there were MAYBE a few kind souls who would volunteer.  Well, before the words were even completely out of my mouth, hands shot up in the air.  Students were incredibly enthusiastic about sharing what they were reading.  Almost every single student wanted to talk about their book choices, and they were reading an incredible variety of stuff, from Rick Riordan to the physics of roller coasters.  I had a similar reaction from my second group of sixth graders, to the point where we ran out of time before everyone who wanted a chance to share got to speak.  It was great to see them all so excited about reading, but I didn’t get very many checkouts.

I then expanded this to the fifth grade class.  Several of them shared what they were reading, and then I booktalked THE IRON TRIAL by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black.  I left them with a cliffhanger, of course, and all of a sudden everyone was clamoring to check out books.  We only have one copy of the book, so there were a couple disappointed kids, but several put holds on it, and the boy who did check it out asked me to put a hold on THE COPPER GAUNTLET as soon as I get it (it’s on order right now).  But then.  My favorite thing happened.  A girl asked for other fantasy recommendations while she waited, and I got to introduce her to another great fantasy series, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE.  And then, after the class was dismissed, a boy CAME BACK IN AND ASKED IF I WOULD RECOMMEND A BOOK FOR HIM.  I was so excited!  He wanted a fantasy book with a lot of action, and he really likes THE YOUNG ELITES, so I hooked him up with GRACELING.  I definitely still had the boys who would rather sit off to the side and do nothing, but all but 3 students checked something out.

It hasn’t been perfect, of course.  I tried it in seventh grade and only had two students willing to share, and I haven’t been able to try it with the eighth graders yet.  I’m hopeful that once it starts happening consistently, I’ll see students more excited about reading for pleasure, along with the added bonus of increased circulation.

This is just laying the groundwork for some of my other ideas, including book speed dating, genre of the month displays, and free reading Fridays.  Unfortunately, the YA section of the library is a bit underdeveloped (probably because middle and upper school students don’t check out a ton), so I’m waiting for some book orders to come in so I have the books necessary to support these endeavors.

Anyway, to make a VERY long story short, I have loved getting to know the middle schoolers, as students and as readers, and seeing them enthusiastic about reading and eager to check out books is one of the many joys of my job.  (I bet you were expecting a sarcastic post after reading that title, weren’t you?  FOOLED YOU!)

I hope that I’ll be able to provide more updates on life in the library soon.  Until then, happy reading!

#bookaday: this year I’m finally jumping in!

So, for a few years now, I’ve wanted to participate in #bookaday, a summer reading challenge devised by the great Donalyn Miller.  #bookaday is, essentially, a way for adults, generally in the field of education, to catch up on reading, celebrate books, and support each other as a community of readers.

Miller commits to reading a book each day of her summer break, and invites others to do something similar, but everyone is responsible for setting their own goals and parameters (guidelines can be found here, at the end of the post).  Since I learned of #bookaday a few summers ago, I’ve always had an excuse not to participate-a big move, summer classes and an intense graduate assistantship, job searching, etc.  This summer is shaping up to be equally busy-our school year isn’t over until June 19th, after which I’m heading out west for the ALA Annual Conference and a bit of vacation, and, at some point, I’m going to be moving AGAIN…but I decided that this year, I’m not going to let those things stop me.  Every summer is likely to be busy, but reading is a priority for me, and I’m going to make #bookaday happen this summer.

Even though summer break doesn’t start for a few more weeks, I’m going to challenge myself to read a book a day for the months of June, July, and August.  While I tend to focus on young adult books in my personal reading life, I imagine I’ll be reading a lot of picture books, early chapter books, and middle grade fiction for at least the first few weeks, while I’m still working.  I’m excited for this, because I love picture books, but don’t tend to spend a lot of time on them just for enjoyment’s sake-it’s more about finding the right one for a lesson, or deciding what to order for the library.

So from today, June 1st, until August 31st, look out for my #bookaday updates on Twitter.  I think I’ll probably try to post weekly (or maybe monthly) updates here as well, just to keep a record of all the great books I’ve read.

Let me know if you’re going to be participating in #bookaday as well, and happy reading!

2014 End of Year Book Survey

Hello 2015.  Another year of reading is in the books, and, although I have been slacking on keeping track of what I read on this blog, I do like reflecting on my reading with this survey created by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner (I did this for my 2012 reading, but skipped 2013).  So, my 2014 in reading looked a little like this:

Number Of Books You Read: 170
Number of Re-Reads: 8
Genre You Read The Most From: this was definitely the year of contemporary realistic fiction for me

 

1. Best Book You Read In 2014?

Well, I just spent like 15 minutes just staring at the books I read this year, because it’s almost impossible to make this decision…the books I loved this year all have different elements.  So I’m just going to do a top 3 (and possibly later go back and do a top books of 2014 post…?):

1. Breakfast Served Anytime, by Sarah Combs

2. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, by Jenny Han

3. The Winner’s Curse, by Marie Rutkowski

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Sadly, I really did not love We Were Liars.  My love for The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks knows no bounds, so I was really looking forward to a new E. Lockhart novel, but this one just wasn’t a great read for me.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2014? 

I guess I’m most surprised by Love Letters to the Dead, by Ava Dellaira.  I’m surprised it’s ended up on so many favorite lists, when I found it to be fairly derivative and uninspired.

 4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did) In 2014?

Although I didn’t read them this year, I continue to recommend a trio of YA books I think all people should read:

–The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart

–The Girl of Fire and Thorns, by Rae Carson

–The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

 5. Best series you started in 2014? Best Sequel of 2014? Best Series Ender of 2014?

Best Series Started: I LOVED The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkowski, and am excited to read the sequel very soon!

Best Sequel: I am a total Elizabeth Eulberg fangirl, and it was so amazing to have a sequel to The Lonely Hearts Club.  We Can Work It Out was great.

Best Series Ender:  While I don’t think it was my favorite of the series, Dreams of Gods & Monsters was an interesting series end.  I will certainly miss Laini Taylor’s gorgeous writing and a lot of the characters in this series.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2014?

I think I have to go with Kasie West.  I read 3 of her books this year, and they were all read-in-one-sitting books for me.

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?

Etiquette & Espionage and the others in the Finishing School series by Gail Carriger.  I never thought steampunk would be for me, but once I got into them I really loved them.

 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?

For me, this is a tie between Free to Fall by Lauren Miller and Love is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson.  In both of these books, I kept turning the pages because I had to know what happened next.

 9. Book You Read In 2014 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

The Harry Potter series.  Although I like to reread, there are so many new books to read that I often don’t do that much of it, but I generally reread Harry Potter every year.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2014?

11. Most memorable character of 2014?

Sophronia (and her friends) from the Finishing School series.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2014?

 Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2014?

 Me Before You by JoJo Moyes.  After reading this, I thought (and continue to think) a lot about the ending of the book, what I would choose if I were in that situation, quality of life, etc.  It’s definitely stuck with me.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2014 to finally read? 

If I Stay never appealed to me; I didn’t love the premise and thought it would just be really hard to read.  but after Just One Day and Just One Year, I wanted more Gayle Forman in my life, and I had picked it up at a library book sale, so I decided to just dive in.  And, as usual, Gayle didn’t disappoint-I ended up loving it.

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2014?

I don’t really keep track of quotes I like, so sadly, I don’t have anything for this one.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2014?

Shortest: Just One Night by Gayle Forman

Longest:  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

 17. Book That Shocked You The Most

All Fall Down by Ally Carter.  While I didn’t love the book, I also didn’t expect the ending to happen the way it did.

18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

Paige and Max from The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord

19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year

Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  Always (yes, I know part of that becomes romantic.  but whatever, they were friends first).

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2014 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

21. Best Book You Read In 2014 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:

I don’t get a lot of peer pressure to read books (I’m usually the one doing the pressuring), but I do read a lot based on book blogs I read, so I guess the best thing I read based on good reviews was the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2014?

Ziri from Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (I guess technically he became a crush when I read Days of Blood and Starlight, but I didn’t do this survey last year, so I’m claiming him for this year).

23. Best 2014 debut you read?

 No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

 The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkowski

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?

 To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2014?

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes.  All the tears.

27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?

I haven’t heard a ton of people talking about Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs, but I really, really loved this book.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?

Me Before You, again.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2014?

Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott (and pretty much all other books where the parents need some sense knocked into them)

Well, there you have it, my year in books.  I am hoping 2015 will be an even better year of reading (in which I finally reach my Goodreads goal), and maybe even one with more blogging, as well.  Happy new year and happy reading to you all.

Reading Retrospective: June

See, I told you I wouldn’t let another 6 months go by without a post.  I was still finishing up my first school year as a librarian in June, but my grad school classes and obligations were done, so reading began to pick up again around this time.  Here’s what I was reading in June:

51. Royally Lost by Angie Stanton-Impulse bought this for my Kindle when it was super cheap.  Not the best choice.  The main character was SO annoying-basically started off as the very definition of an ugly American.  So shallow, desperate for McDonald’s, not wanting to learn the history of anything, etc.  She got slightly better over time, but the best part of the book was the setting-I’ll read about vacations through Europe any day of the week.

52. Prodigy by Marie Lu-Second book in the Legend trilogy. More Day and June.  Despite it being a second book, I didn’t hate it, so I think that says a lot about the trilogy.

53. Champion by Marie Lu-Final book in the Legend trilogy.  I didn’t hate the ending.  I didn’t think it was too far-fetched or unrealistic, and it had a hopeful tone.  I’m having trouble remembering a ton of details now (though I did love the gamification of Antarctica), but definitely a solid trilogy.  I’d definitely recommend it over Divergent and the Maze Runner, maybe even The Hunger Games (only because I liked the third book a lot more).

54. The One by Kiera Cass-Final book in The Selection trilogy.  I know a lot of people don’t like this series, and it’s not without flaws, but I really liked America throughout the series.  Some of her thoughts and actions definitely irritated me, but I liked her less orthodox approach to many of the tasks with which she was faced.  And the romantic aspect ended relatively predictably, but I think that was to be expected.  I probably won’t reread the series, but I definitely liked it.

55. Free to Fall by Lauren Miller-I really liked the premise of the book, but then I thought the plot got more and more outrageous.  Nonetheless, it was enjoyable, if far-fetched.

56. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling-Back in the beginning of June, I had sort of a rough week, so I decided I needed some comfort reading.  Enter Harry Potter.  Still so good, despite repeated rereadings.  Made me long to be a wizard all over again.

57. Just One Night by Gayle Forman-I usually skip these little stories that happen before, after, or in between books in a series, because they’re not essential to the plot and I’d rather read a full-length story.  But I am SO GLAD Gayle Forman wrote this add-on to Just One Day/Just One Year.  It was so nice to have Allyson and Willem spend more time together, have a little more closure, and nice to have more time with Forman’s writing.

58. Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger-Interesting concept, slow read (for me).  Took a while for me to get through this, though I did eventually get to like the characters.  We’ll see how soon I pick up the second book.

59. Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter-This is the second book in the Heist Society Series.  Ally Carter just writes such fun books, full of action and unique characters.  I will read anything she writes (and actually can’t wait for her next series).

60. Pawn by Aimee Carter-At first I was worried that the premise of this dystopian series seemed a little derivative, and there are certainly aspects that are similar to other books.  However, I still found it to be an action-packed and enjoyable read, if you aren’t already suffering from dystopian fatigue.

61. If I Stay by Gayle Forman-Despite my deep and abiding love for Just One Day and Just One Year, the premise of If I Stay never appealed to me.  Even though I read rave review after rave review, I still wouldn’t pick the book up.  Then I happened upon it at a library book sale, one of those where you stuff a bag full for a small amount of money, and it found its way onto my shelves.  And on the heels of Just One Night, I decided I needed more Gayle Forman, and, what do you know, all those other reviews were right.  I continued to love Forman’s writing style and rich characters.  Definitely a favorite.

62. Breakfast Served Anytime by Sarah Combs-Another favorite for the year.  Anytime a book is set at summer camp or on a road trip, I’m pretty much guaranteed to pick it up.  This one was the former, and I loved it.  Then again, I love any time authors bring smart, complex teenagers to life, and that definitely happened in this book.

63. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson-Morgan Matson is another automatic read for me, but I was a little worried this one wouldn’t live up to her previous two novels, which I loved so much.  I still am not a huge fan of how the plot came about, because of the somewhat sinister implications that arise when someone ‘disappears;’ nonetheless, I liked the idea of the main character taking on challenges and pushing herself, and I always enjoy a little romance, so, while not my favorite Matson book, I did enjoy it.

64. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling-Well, after reading the first one, I couldn’t very well stop.  This books has always been, and continues to be, my least favorite in the series; that being said, the worst Harry Potter book is still better than a great many other books around.

 

And that’s all for June-July’s reads will be reviewed in another few days.

Reading Retrospective: May

Well, it appears I took quite the hiatus from the land of blogging.  There is much to catch up on, including a move to a new city, work at a new job, challenges and successes at said job, and new discoveries in the world of books and reading.  Since I didn’t quite keep up with the monthly reading recaps, I thought that during December, in advance of an end of year wrap up, I’d retrospectively fill you in on what I’ve been reading.  Since quite a lot of months have passed since I’ve done one of these, each one will get its own post, so maybe people will actually read to the end.  Anyway, without further delay, here is what I read in May:

40. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor-Wow, this book was enormous.  This trilogy is one of my favorites ever, and third books in trilogies are often disappointing, but Laini Taylor’s writing is so beautiful that even though this wasn’t necessarily my favorite book in the series, I was definitely happy with it.  I have to say that I love Ziri even more now, and am I wrong in thinking that the ending sort of left an opening for a spin-off series?

41. The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik-YA based on Persuasion by Jane Austen.  Definitely an enjoyable, sweet, read, if not super memorable.

42. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han-Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book.  I’ve read all of Jenny Han’s books, and I think she’s a good writer, but I’ve always been underwhelmed by her YA books-I’ve thought her books aimed at younger audiences (Shug and Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream) were superior.  Until now.  Lara Jean is an amazing main character, the book is hilarious and smart and I fell in love with the characters, and I am so, so glad there’s going to be a sequel.

43. The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer-You know how so many realistic YA books these days are advertised as perfect for fans of John Green or Rainbow Rowell, but it so rarely turns out to be true?  That was actually one of the first things I thought of when reading this-the smart, witty dialogue reminded me of John Green’s characters.  That being said, I started off really loving this book, but then there was a twist-type occurrence and it really sort of put a damper on my enjoyment of the book.  I did like that the ending of the book wasn’t necessarily all happy and resolved, but more realistic.

44. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner-Second book in the Maze Runner series.  I liked the first book in the series, but things went downhill from there.  I know dystopian societies are no picnic, but I found some of the gratuitous bloodshed and death to be really disturbing, and I didn’t like the premise of the task in this book or some of the puppetmasters’ (so to speak) actions.  Not a favorite.

45. The Death Cure by James Dashner-Despite the second book not being a favorite, I wanted to finish the trilogy.  I was equally unimpressed with this third book, and I found the religious symbolism of the ending to be a bit heavy-handed.

46. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson- I love Laurie Halse Anderson, I think her writing is great and she is willing to tackle big issues in her books.  I don’t think this is necessarily my Reading Retrospective: Mayfavorite of her books, but it was still a good read.

47. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins-I enjoyed the Hex Hall series, so thought I’d give this one a try.  I liked the premise better than Hex Hall, but didn’t find the romantic aspect as compelling.  That said, I do like Rachel Hawkins’ writing style, and after that ending, I feel like I need to read the next book to find out what happens.

48. Don’t Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley-One of my biggest YA pet peeves is terrible parents-those who don’t understand their kids, or are absent, or just really don’t have a clue.  I feel like this happens more frequently in YA novels than in real life.  And this book definitely has that.  However, I also think it’s an interesting look at how prominent blogging is these days.  Not a favorite of the year, but I still enjoyed it.

49. Now and Forever by Susane Colasanti-When I read the synopsis for this one, I thought it could end up being my favorite Colasanti book.  Then I started reading, and I just didn’t LIKE the main character.  I don’t know if it was the personality or the writing style, but it just didn’t sound like an authentic voice to me.  I did like the direction the book took in regard to one famous and one non-famous person dating-it definitely wasn’t your standard fantasy scenario, which was refreshing.

50. Legend by Marie Lu-Another dystopian trilogy, another main character who starts off thinking her society is good and just, then realizes how flawed it is.  Same old, same old…and yet I still loved this book.  June and Day were great characters, and I liked the plot so much better than some others in the genre.  I’d definitely recommend this one.

Well, that’s it for May.  I’ll be back again soon (for real!) with June’s reads.

What I’ve Been Reading-February, March, April

So, remember when I mentioned in my January Reads post that the rate at which I’d been reading would probably be unsustainable?  Well, that happened in a big way.  So much so that I didn’t even feel like it was worth it to do a February update.  And then I just sort of forgot about March.  But I think I’ve gotten my reading groove back, though I still don’t have as much time as I’d like to read, between actual work and finishing up all of my library school requirements so I can graduate this month.  So, without any further rambling, here’s an update on what I’ve read these past 3 months:

20. Early Decision: Based on a True Frenzy by Lacy Crawford-I’m actually truly fascinated by the college admissions process-I debated for a long time whether I wanted to be a guidance counselor or librarian (obviously, you know which one won in the end).  So this book about a private college consultant and the neurotic families for which she worked was very interesting to me.

21. Divas Don’t Knit by Gil McNeil-Another thing I’m weirdly fascinated by is knitting.  Even though I’m still working on the same scarf I started like 5 years ago, I secretly want to be an awesome knitter, and I really like books about people who knit.  This book, the first in a series, not only featured a knitting shop in a cute English seaside town, but also was more hilarious than I expected.  I’ll definitely be reading the others in the series.

22. Going Rogue by Robin Benway-I loved the first book in this series so much.  This one was good, but not quite as great.  I still loved zany best friend Roux, and there was still a lot of action, and I’m still very drawn to teenage spies, especially when they are as awesome as Maggie.  I hope the series will continue.

23. Needles and Pearls by Gil McNeil-A sequel to Divas Don’t Knit.  I actually have very little memory of what happened in this book, so I guess that’s not a super strong recommendation, though it seemed perfectly enjoyable at the time.

24. Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close-I remember when this book came out, the number of holds placed on it at the library was ridiculously high.  I liked it, and found it relatable, but I guess I wasn’t as impressed by it as I thought I’d be.  I also found the ending to be really anticlimactic.

25. The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt-I really, really loved Sean Griswold’s Head AND Going Vintage, so I had really high hopes for this one.  Again, I found it to be good, but not great (apparently the theme for these past few books is mediocrity, at least for me).  I don’t know if it was the setting of Las Vegas, a city in which I’ve really never been interested, or the way things develop between the main character and her love interest, but I just didn’t love it.

26. Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke-I originally picked up one of these mystery novels because I liked the idea that recipes were incorporated.  That’s pretty much why I keep reading them.  The characters annoy me, particularly the main character and her struggle, through 17 books, to choose between two men (somewhat reminiscent of another popular mystery series…), but they’re easy reads, and I still like the recipes.  This one was no different.

27. Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor-Finally, a book I can recommend. I know that a lot of people really didn’t like the main character and some of the medical things in this book, but they weren’t really problems for me.  I enjoyed the friendship between the two characters a lot, and definitely did my fair share of crying.

28. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich-Stephanie Plum continues to be hilarious.  I will read as many of these books as Janet Evanovich writes.  They’re just easy, fun reads.

29. #16thingsithoughtweretrue by Janet Gurtler-I love road trip books.  I thought the main character was a little shallow and social media obsessed, and I didn’t like how abruptly things happened toward the end of the book.  But it was still an enjoyable read.

30. Hung Up by Kristen Tracy-Not a super memorable book, but it was cute and fun.  I always like when books are told through letters, text messages, etc., and this one was no different.  I probably won’t feel the need to reread it, but it was a quick, lighthearted read.

31. Panic by Lauren Oliver-I have really mixed feelings about Lauren Oliver.  I think she is a brilliant writer, but I didn’t love how the plot panned out in the Delirium series.  I was excited to read something of hers in a different genre, and I liked the premise of this book.  It wasn’t a standout for me, but I definitely continue to appreciate Oliver’s writing.

32. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkowski-Love, love, LOVED this book.  Hate, hate, HATE that I didn’t realize it was the first in a trilogy and I’m going to have to wait forever to find out what happens next.

33. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan-I enjoyed Riordan’s other series much more than I thought I would, so I decided to give this one a chance while I wait for the final Heroes of Olympus book.  I’m choosing to reserve judgment at this point.  It was good, but no Percy Jackson.  We’ll see what happens as the series goes on.

34. Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano-This book bothered me SO much.  I should have known, when I couldn’t ever get in to Wither, that maybe DeStefano isn’t the best author for me.  But SO many things weren’t explained, and so many OTHER things were so derivative.  Once it got to the end, the plot picked up and I feel like I’ll read the next book because I want to know what happens…but still.  Not my favorite.

35. Frozen by Erin Bowman-A very enjoyable second book in a series.  There was plenty of action, a few things I didn’t expect, and nothing I remember that really bothered me.  Looking forward to the next installment.

36. Balancing Acts by Zoe Fishman-I don’t read a ton of adult fiction, but there have been some titles that have really appealed to me lately, and this is one of them.  I love New York, so books set there are often some of my favorites, and one character seriously annoyed me with her lack of growth for most of the story, but overall, very enjoyable.

37. Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy-Yeah, yeah, another cancer book.  But this one has a twist-the character with cancer actually LIVES, and has to deal with the consequences of what she did when she thought she would die.  It was certainly a new take on things, and the character was well written and complex, if not always likeable.

38. The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith-I really like Smith’s books.  I’m not sure any have measured up, for me at least, to The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, but I enjoy them nonetheless.  This one seemed slightly less realistic to me, but I really enjoyed the settings (now I’m daydreaming about a trip to Scotland myself).

39. The Maze Runner by James Dashner-The first time I tried to read this, I really couldn’t get into it, but I decided to give in another chance, and I couldn’t put it down.  At first the language and the inability to picture the setting in my head were really disorienting to me, but the action picked up and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.

 

Well, that’s all, folks.  I hope to be more on top of keeping track of reading and updating the blog now that graduation is thisclose.

January Reads

So I figured since I’m going to be blogging for one of my classes this semester, I might as well try to get back to blogging about other personal/library things as well.  This is my last semester in library school, so I’m sure you can expect some posts about that, as well as my favorite free time activity: reading!  I’m going to try to post about certain books I love, but at the very least I’m going to aim to get monthly reading roundups posted.  So, without further ado, here are the books I read in January:

1. The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan-So I started reading this series because my boyfriend and I watched both of the movies, and then he became interested in reading the books.  I decided to give them a try as well, even though I’m not a huge fan of mythology, but I ended up really liking them.  They’ve got a lot of action and were pretty quick reads.

2. The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau-Got this and the second in the series at BEA last year, and after I started reading, I hated that I’d put them off for so long.  A lot of people draw parallels between this and The Hunger Games series, but I enjoyed it despite the similarities, maybe even liked it a little more.

3. The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3) by Rick Riordan-I’m not sure I liked this one as much as the first two, but I did enjoy some of the new characters that showed up in this installment.

4. The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4) by Rick Riordan-I think this might be my favorite book in the series.

5. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #5) by Rick Riordan-Everything leading up to a big battle sort of reminded me a little too much of Harry Potter, but Goodreads tells me I gave it 4 stars, so I must have found some redeeming qualities.

6. Six Months Later by Natalie Richards-After all that Percy Jackson, I needed something a little more real.  At first I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this book about a girl who wakes up not remembering the last 6 months of her life, but it ended up being a solid read for me.

7. The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1) by Rick Riordan-At first I was hesitant to read this series-I loved the original characters so much, I didn’t want new ones.  But it turns out I didn’t hate them.

8. Just One Year by Gayle Forman-I liked this book more than I thought I would.  I would have preferred some more Willem and Allyson time, but I enjoyed Willem’s journey.

9. The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus, #2) by Rick Riordan-I had a feeling about this one after reading The Lost Hero, and I wasn’t really a fan of what happened…that being said, I’m already invested.  So let the series continue.

10. The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3) by Rick Riordan-I definitely loved having more Annabeth time in this book.  I do like that this series has multiple narrators-I think it makes it more interesting.  But-HOLY CLIFFHANGER.  Thank goodness I had the next book ready and waiting.

11. Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau-2nd book in The Testing series.  I thought that some elements of the story were fairly predictable, in terms of how dystopian trilogies evolve, but I also think this series has something new to offer as well.  I really like the main character, I found it to be an enjoyable read, and I’m definitely looking forward to the conclusion.

12. The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4) by Rick Riordan-There’s a lot going on in this installment of the story.  I liked all the action, but there were also some moments that made you think.  And Small Bob may be my favorite character ever.  A little impatient for October and the last book in the series.

13. Taken by Erin Bowman-Another BEA book that I put off for a while, and then devoured all in one sitting once I finally opened it.  Dystopian, but still interesting-I’m looking forward to the next book in April.

14. Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg-Eulberg is an automatic read for me, and it’s no surprise that I enjoyed this one.  Not my all-time favorite, but cute and funny.  I really love how she crafts her characters.

15. The Giver by Lois Lowry-I read this for a class I then decided to drop, but it was my first time reading it, and it was ok.  There are horrors in every dystopian novel, but there were some things in this one that really put me off, and I didn’t like the ending at all.

16. Finding It by Cora Carmack-I was drawn to the backpacking through Europe aspect of this book, so I decided to try it even though “new adult” isn’t really my thing.  This was a pretty quick read, but it wasn’t my favorite, and reminded me a lot of that Mandy Moore movie Chasing Liberty.

17. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes-Oh boy.  I don’t know what to say about this.  I sobbed through about the last 50 pages of the book.  Like serious, ugly cry, wailing.  I have very mixed feelings about the storyline, but I can’t deny that Moyes writes beautifully, and I loved the interactions between Louisa and Will.

18. Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt-It takes a lot to make a 24 hour romance work most of the time, and in this case, the characters just went from hatred/indifference to infatuation/passion way too quickly for me, especially in the case of the male main character.  There were definitely redeeming moments, but I didn’t love it.

19. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart-I wanted to love this book so much.  Frankie Landau-Banks is one of my all-time favorite characters, and I had really high hopes.  But this one just wasn’t my favorite-the writing seemed overly formal, and the “big reveal” just made things really weird to me.

This is an uncharacteristic amount of reading for me-I had the first 5 days of the month off, plus a long weekend in there, and two days off from work due to the extreme cold.  I don’t anticipate to keep up this pace, since I will have school work and work work and paperwork and some other obligations that will take time away from reading, but still, it was a nice way to start off the new year.